Dr. Pamela Watson is driven by stress but not in the way you might expect. As a biologist, geneticist, neuroscientist, and professor, she studies the extraordinarily high levels of chronic stress that are unique to Memphis.
“The questions that I’m interested in exploring are related to social stressors—especially those related to social injustice like racism, chronic prejudice, and income disparities,” said Dr. Watson.
“When I started to look at cortisol levels, I found they were elevated in populations of people who experience chronic disenfranchisement.”
Dr. Watson grew up in and around Nashville but fell for Memphis and its people while completing her doctorate in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
As she pursued her master’s and PhD, Dr. Watson had the opportunity to teach college students and realized she was drawn to higher education. When it came time to apply for positions, she knew she wanted to work at a smaller, private university – ideally in Memphis – where her work would have a positive impact and she could serve as a mentor to students.
CBU has been an ideal match in terms of size, location, and culture. In January 2025, Dr. Watson joined CBU as a Visiting Professor in the Biology Department. She will transition to an Assistant Professor role in May 2026.
“CBU gave me that opportunity to teach hands-on and be a mentor for the students,” said Dr. Watson, who has been instrumental in launching the new Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience program at CBU.
The interdisciplinary program, which aligns with Memphis’ growing focus on healthcare, biomedical research, and mental health services, blends biology, psychology, and related fields to explore the complexities of the brain and nervous system.
Dr. Watson has two studies coming up and is recruiting students to participate. The first is about prejudice and its impact on cortisol levels. The second is about racism and sleep hygiene, the behavioral and environmental practices that promote good sleep.
She became interested in stress while researching neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that attacks the sympathetic nervous system and often starts in the adrenal glands, which regulate stress.
“There are certain health disparities that are more common in African American populations, and we see this prevalently in Memphis. They include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity,” said Dr. Watson. “What do these have in common? They are all related to how we respond to our environment when there is increased stress.”
It makes sense to study these intersections at CBU because of the university’s Lasallian dedication to social justice.
“Especially with our emphasis on equity in education, I feel it is our responsibility to ask some of these questions,” said Dr. Watson. “We have great departments at CBU. We are able to complete these important projects.
“What really put my work into perspective was collaborating with Dr. [Maureen] O’Brien in the School of Psychology. She teaches a class on prejudice, how we treat one another based on perceived differences and what that does to a person. I asked her for any and every book she could recommend to us that would improve our understanding.”
It is this collaboration that strengthens the neuroscience program, and Dr. Watson is grateful to be at an institution where professors help one another to be successful.
“There is a huge opportunity and need for behavioral sciences and physical sciences to collaborate,” said Dr. Watson. “We are examining a complex human reaction. What do we know about it? What do we not know about it? We know the endpoint of chronic stress, but we don’t know a lot about the in between. Working together, interdepartmentally, we can weigh in on an important, timely discussion.”
Dr. Watson’s office is in the Cooper-Wilson Center.
